NFL Player News

The Chiefs selected Thompson in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 214th overall.

Thompson (5-foot-8, 198 pounds) is a bit undersized but runs with a standout motor and offers a three-down skill set otherwise. As much as his pro day numbers were problematic (4.55-second 40, 11.23 agility score), Thompson looks quick and explosive on tape, and he salvaged his pro day somewhat by posting strong numbers in the vertical (39 inches) and broad jump (126 inches). Thompson played just one season at Utah State as a junior college transfer, but he torched the Mountain West to the tune of 1,044 yards (6.8 YPC) and 14 touchdowns while adding 23 receptions for 351 yards and two touchdowns on just 30 targets. Carlos Hyde is the established backup to Damien Williams at the moment, but there's a non-zero chance that Thompson closes that gap if he can make the team. Thompson is clearly a better pass catcher than Hyde.

The Bengals selected Anderson (knee) in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 211th overall.

Anderson (6-foot, 224 pounds) suffered a torn ACL in early September, but he wasn't able to run at all before the draft and carries some ambiguity in his status heading into the fall. The line for some time was that Anderson should be ready for Week 1, but in some sense it's odd that was ever up to question. If the former Oklahoma star isn't damaged goods for the long term, then this is pretty obviously a strong pick for Cincinnati. If Anderson had never torn that ACL or suffered his two other season-ending injuries (broken vertebra, broken leg), then there's a real chance he's making a case for the first round. In a thin running back class notably lacking upside, Anderson was the rare type that held a workhorse frame along with an explosive three-down skill set. His 200 career carries went for 1,285 yards (6.4 YPC) and 16 touchdowns while he added 17 receptions for 281 yards and five touchdowns, and he clearly possesses standout speed given that he ran away from the Georgia defense in 2017. That he fell this far might indicate that NFL doctors question the stability of his knee, but if Anderson is healthy then he could be a problem for Gio Bernard, let alone earlier fellow sixth-round pick Trayveon Williams.

The Seahawks selected Homer in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 204th overall.

The Miami running back is actually one of the better athletes at his position in this class. Homer tested in the top-10th percentile in both of his jumps and his 40-yard dash was solid at 4.48 seconds. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry over 164 rushes as a junior in 2018 and he brings some pass-catching ability too (37 catches for 405 yards on 56 targets over last two seasons). He could challenge J.D. McKissic for a third-down role in Seattle.

The Bengals selected Williams in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 182nd overall.

Williams (5-foot-8, 206 pounds) didn't test especially well at the combine, posting satisfactory marks in the 40 (4.51 seconds) and broad jump (121 inches) while struggling in all other regards, but he put up a lot of production at Texas A&M and at the very least brings a hot motor to Cincinnati. He ran for 3,615 yards (6.0 YPC) and 34 touchdowns in 38 career games, adding 66 receptions for 561 yards and a touchdown. Williams does everything at 110 percent effort and should do fine on special teams if that's how he needs to make the final roster.

The Falcons selected Ollison in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 152nd overall.

It always seemed likely Atlanta would add more competition for the backup job behind Devonta Freeman. Ollison joins the mix as a bowling ball of a prospect who shined as a redshirt freshman while filling in for an injured James Conner at Pitt, but then had two disappointing seasons before exploding for 1,213 yards on 6.3 YPC over 14 starts in 2018. At 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds, it wouldn't surprise anyone if he carves out a short-yardage role in Atlanta.

The Cowboys selected Pollard in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 128th overall.

While a disappointing 4.52 40 time initially dinged Pollard's draft stock, the Memphis product followed it up with a 4.3 40 at his pro day and now appears to be headed to a Cowboys team that was known to be in the market for a young backup to Ezekiel Elliott. With Rod Smith gone and practically only Darius Jackson and Jordan Chunn to compete with, Pollard seems to have decent odds of opening the season as one of the more valuable handcuff running backs in fantasy. After averaging a school record 40 yards per kick return, Pollard would also have boosted value in leagues that count all-purpose yards.

The Steelers selected Snell in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 122nd overall.

This pick doesn't make a ton of sense for the Steelers on the surface beyond adding some depth behind James Conner. Snell's production at Kentucky is beyond question -- he rewrote the school's record books with three separate 1,000-yard seasons. He also picked up 48 rushing scores along the way. The question is how his athleticism, or lack thereof, will translate in the NFL. Snell ran a 4.66 40-yard dash at the combine and his 29.5-inch vertical was in the fourth percentile for running backs. He will have to rely on his vision and physical running style to stick in the NFL, but it's unlikely he'll be on a starter's trajectory at any point.

The Ravens selected Hill in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 113th overall.

Hill (5-foot-10, 198 pounds) doesn't project as a workhorse option in the NFL, but the Oklahoma State product has many encouraging indicators working in his favor. His 4.4 speed, 40-inch vertical, and 130-inch broad jump illustrate his top-shelf athleticism, and in his Cowboys career he ran for 3,539 yards (5.6 YPC) and 30 touchdowns in his three collegiate seasons. There are a couple other contextual details that reflect well on Hill. The first is that as a true freshman he started over Chris Carson, who has of course proven his fitness for the NFL, and the other is that Hill increased his weight from 171 pounds that freshman year to the 198-pound combine weight without losing his standout athleticism. Hill had curiously poor pass-catching production in college, catching just 49 passes for 304 yards and one touchdown, though it'd be odd if a player with his physical traits were unable to develop that skill set. Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards and Kenneth Dixon all pose obstacles in the meantime, but running backs of course get hurt and Hill is unlikely to embarrass himself if he gets an opportunity to play. His selection can't be good news for Dixon.

The Vikings selected Mattison in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 102nd overall.

Mattison (5-foot-11, 221 pounds) is a well-built running back who served as a workhorse for Boise State the last two years, totaling 2,501 yards (4.9 YPC) and 29 touchdowns over that span while adding 55 catches for 457 yards and a touchdown. His rushing production was voluminous but not as explosive as the usual Boise State standard -- a player like Jeremy McNichols was far more effective, for instance -- and Mattison lacks speed overall (4.67-second 40). However, he's at least quite strong and offers some short-area burst (127-inch broad jump), so he could provide useful snaps when the Vikings want to keep Dalvin Cook out of harm's way. Assuming the Minnesota running back depth chart remains unchanged moving forward, Mattison is probably the favorite to serve as Cook's backup in 2019, though Mike Boone should not be counted out for the time being.

The Patriots selected Harris in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 87th overall.

The Alabama product was actually the starter over first-rounder Joshua Jacobs in the Crimson Tide backfield in 2017 and 2018. Harris may lack flash -- he ran a 4.57-second 40-yard dash -- but he's a reliable back who never averaged less than 5.8 yards per carry in any of his final three seasons at Alabama. Harris should mix in behind Sony Michel on standard downs, but his pass-catching ability is unproven to where he may not see many third-down snaps early in his career.